DIVA ADHD - Improving Adult ADHD Diagnosis
DIVA is an interview with a semistructured format that was developed to improve ADHD assessment in adults. This study is aimed at assessing the criterion valid of DIVA 2.0 as well as its concomitant validity with Conners Adult ADHD Diagnosis Interview for DSM-IV criteria.
Compared to the top 20 attributes, DIVA attributes that correlate strongest with diagnosis are attention deficit for both childhood and adulthood and hyperactivity/impulsivity for adults, followed by CAARS ADHD TT1 score and IOWA personality disorders evaluation.
Signs and symptoms
The symptoms of ADD/ADHD impact every aspect of our lives, from relationships and career progression to the day-to-day activities that comprise our lives. It is essential that our ADHD assessment takes a holistic perspective, looking at how symptoms impact every aspect of our lives. Dr Schilling will begin by assessing your symptoms and medical history. She will then take the DIVA 5 assessment, a semi-structured interview designed to evaluate both the core symptoms of ADD/ADHD as well as how those symptoms have impacted your life.
The DIVA is an interview tool developed by psychotherapists and psychiatrists to evaluate the symptoms of adult ADHD. It has been shown to have a high sensitivity to sound and a high degree of specificity. It is extremely effective in identifying people suffering from the disorder. It is able to increase awareness and the diagnosis of the condition of adult ADHD in Korea, as it is the only validated semi-structured, semi-structured diagnostic interview for adults suffering from ADHD available in the country.
To conduct the DIVA the trained clinician usually psychologist or psychiatrist will ask questions about the core symptoms of ADHD which include hyperactivity, inattention and an impulsive nature. The psychologist will also analyze the history of the individual, including their childhood experiences and their impact on their present behavior. The symptoms of ADHD do not appear suddenly. They develop over a time from childhood to teenage years and adulthood.
The DIVA can be used to detect ADHD due to its consideration of both the DSM-IV ADHD criteria in the early years and later in adulthood and how these signs have affected the individual's daily functioning across five areas: education, employment and family/partner relationships, social activities/leisure, and confidence in oneself. Contrary to this other screening tools, such as the WURS-brief which was compared to CAADID, showed poor accuracy and negative predictive values.
Diagnosis
To determine ADHD in adults, it is crucial to assess the signs and symptoms along with their background. This can be accomplished through a comprehensive interview about childhood symptoms as well as an assessment of neurocognitive capacity. It is also essential to assess the impact of the symptoms on the person's work and life. This can be determined by conducting a structured interview, called the DIVA and, in some instances, getting information from friends and family members.
The DIVA is an interview that is semi-structured and was first developed for use with adults in the Netherlands. It has been revised to be used by adults in other countries as well, including Korea. This study looked at the validity of the Korean version of DIVA (DIVA-5) in an adult clinical sample with ADHD.
During the DIVA the clinician will ask about ADHD symptoms during the early years and in adulthood. They will also ask the age of onset of symptoms and the level of impairment caused by these symptoms. The doctor will also collect a variety of sociodemographic information and ask about any psychiatric co-morbidities.
The MINI-S and Version 5.0.0 The MINI-S plus Version 5.0.0, the Brief Alcohol Related Neuropsychological Impaired Screening Instrument (BEARNI) along with the Frontal Assessment Battery were used to detect psychiatric co-morbidity. A diagnosis of clinical ADHD was determined by two experienced psychiatrists who utilized the structured diagnostic interview DIVA-5 to assess symptoms in both the early years and in childhood, and determine the duration of those symptoms.
The sensitivity and specificity of DIVA-5 was found to be high for both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms in childhood and adulthood. This diagnostic tool was shown to have good concurrent validity with the WURS scale as well as fair concurrent validity with three self-report rating instruments: the ASRS, FAB, and Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
The sensitivity and specificity of the DIVA-5 was found to be high for all subtypes of ADHD in both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity in adulthood and during childhood. The accuracy of the DIVA-5's diagnostics was found to be similar to the accuracy of clinical diagnosis given by two psychiatrists. This was in accordance with the specificity and sensitivity of previous screening tools, such as the ASRS and the WURS.
Treatment
If you are not diagnosed with ADHD it could significantly impact your life. This can affect your relationships, academic performance, and work. It can also affect the way you organize your daily life. A diagnosis can help you determine your strengths and weaknesses and provide treatment options to improve your symptoms and coping mechanism.
A licensed clinician, usually psychologist or psychiatrist, will conduct a structured discussion with you regarding your current symptoms using the DIVA-5 assessment tool. This will include asking standard questions about your levels of inattention, hyperactivity and the tendency to be impulsive. It will also look into your personal history, including childhood experiences, to obtain a complete picture of your symptoms and their impact on your life.
This is essential for ensuring a thorough diagnosis of adult ADHD. This helps us better comprehend your symptoms and guide your treatment.
The DIVA assessment is an extremely efficient method of diagnosing adult ADHD with high sensitivity and precision. It has also been demonstrated to be reliable in determining the validity of criterion when compared with self-report rating scales such as the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale. It has good consistency with these scales and reasonable validity with Sheehan's Dysfunction Inventory.
Unlike the more traditional methods used to assess ADHD in adults, the DIVA assessment is focused on identifying and discussing the symptoms that occur both during childhood and adulthood, thereby increasing the accuracy of the diagnosis and allowing for an accurate comparison between sociodemographic characteristics of the two groups. The DIVA assessment can also be used to assess the effects of co-existing disorders on the manifestation and severity of ADHD symptoms.
If your Psychologist cannot recommend medication, you may need to make an appointment with a Psychiatrist or Paediatrician for further assessment and/or treatment. They will then refer you to a specialist Psychologist to conduct an in-depth evaluation of your symptoms, and to determine if there are any differential or co-occurring diagnoses. This includes assessing for comorbid conditions like anxiety and depression. This will enable your Psychologist determine the best treatment plan.
Getting Started
Being diagnosed with ADHD can have a profound impact on your life providing explanations for long-standing difficulties and opening doors to effective treatment options. However, a good evaluation requires the expertise of qualified healthcare professionals. The DIVA ADHD assessment is a well-organized and comprehensive tool that can help to improve the accuracy of adult ADHD diagnosis by evaluating symptoms across different life stages. It also detects patterns of behavior that remain and assists in determining the difference between ADHD symptoms and other disorders, such as depression or anxiety.
In the course of a DIVA ADHD evaluation, a clinician will use an organized interview to ask a series of questions regarding symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattention, and the tendency to be impulsive. The clinician assesses the intensity, frequency and duration of symptoms to determine how they affect the person in various settings. This information can be used to create an accurate diagnosis.
The DIVA test is validated in comparison with other diagnostic tools. It has high sensitivity compared to CAA-DIDs, WURS-briefs and psychiatrist's tests. adhd assessment has also excellent validity when assessing ADHD in five areas of daily function that include education and work relationships with family and home social connections, free time and hobby.
A valid DIVA assessment requires participation from the person being evaluated as well as their close family members and close friends. This will help to build trust and a therapeutic bond that is essential to the success of the assessment.
A skilled psychologist or psychiatrist who is certified in the use of the DIVA ADHD assessment will be able to provide a detailed report. The report will detail the findings of the test and recommend a treatment program based on the evidence.
Please contact us to schedule an appointment if you or someone you know might have ADHD. Our doctor Kate Schilling has been trained to use the DIVA ADHD assessments and is able to give a thorough assessment. She can then provide an appointment with a specialist to develop an effective treatment plan. Please be aware that an amalgamation of psychotherapy and medication is the most effective treatment.